Minister of State (Revenue) Sanjay Rathod informed the House that in Mumbai, the state has leased 1,282 plots of land.

It would now be legal for the leaseholder of a state government-leased land in Mumbai to sub-lease or transfer the land with the Collector’s permission.

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Three months after lawmakers made legal provisions permitting the sale of public land allotted on lease or occupancy basis, the state Assembly on Thursday cleared another legislation recognising sub-leasing of leased lands in Mumbai.

Minister of State (Revenue) Sanjay Rathod informed the House that in Mumbai, the state has leased 1,282 plots of land. He said out of these, 691 lease grants had expired and another 122 were found to have violated terms of lease, including sub-leasing without permission. The Bill that was cleared in the Assembly states that such an assignment or transfer of lease would be possible after prior sanction from the Collector’s office and payment of unearned income to the government.

It also provides for regularisation of lease grants where such transfers have been effected already without permission. In such cases, the government would collect an additional penalty. While the state has argued that the latest decontrol measure would rev up the economy and also regularise such transactions, there have been reports of rampant misuse on these lands in the past.